


B'ezrat Hashem (With God's Help)

by FantasticalNonsense



Series: ADOW Premiere Challenge Prompts [2]
Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV)
Genre: ADOW Premiere Challenge, Character Study, Gen, Introspection, Religious Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 19:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18531937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasticalNonsense/pseuds/FantasticalNonsense
Summary: "Tonight, she sorely needs the comfort of her faith." A one-shot centering on the enigma that is Miriam Shephard in a moment of doubt and a need for assurance. For the ADOW Premiere Challenge WEEK TWO || Favorite secondary character(s) / Favorite location(s).





	B'ezrat Hashem (With God's Help)

**Author's Note:**

> Miriam has always fascinated me, both in the books and the TV series. The problem is that we know so little about her, even with the All Souls companion. I wanted to write this as an exploration of a woman of faith and how such a long life might affect those beliefs. 
> 
> I should point out that Miriam (to my knowledge) hasn't been canonically confirmed as Jewish, but her namesake (Hebrew in origin), her age (at least 2000, if not older) and her genetic makeup (North African and Semitic descent, according to the companion) heavily implies that she is. Additionally, I'm not overly familiar with Jewish observances and customs, as you'll probably pick up in the text, so I do apologize if I've gotten anything wrong. Feel free to message me so I can improve my understanding and my writing! 
> 
> Side note: Happy Easter! And Happy Pesach (Passover) to the Jewish community on AO3!
> 
> "A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy)" is the property of Deborah Harkness and Bad Wolf Productions. The author makes no claim to these characters beyond the use of this fanwork.
> 
> ADOW Premiere Challenge: [click here.](http://fantasticalnonsense18.tumblr.com/post/183957270920/thewhyldeone-di-elle-di-elle)

 “I’m heading out.”

Miriam glanced up from her charts and looked puzzlingly at Marcus. “We still have two more samples to analyze. Don’t you want to know if they hold up with James’ results?”

“Of course,” he said. “But it’s getting late, and I promised the guys I’d meet them at the pub. A commemoration for James, you know, before the funeral.” His eyes were downcast as he spoke, heavy with the weight of his friend’s death.  

She nodded. “Alright. But be here first thing tomorrow morning. I could use the help and God knows how long Matthew will be away for,” she added.

Marcus smirked and with a playful “Yes ma’am” sauntered out the door.

The rest of the afternoon passed by briskly for Miriam, punctuated by the sound of whirring hematology analyzers and the clacking of keys as she made notes on her laptop. Lab work wasn’t suited for all vampires: some (like Marcus) found the tasks tiresome and repetitive, preferring fields with more practical application and faster results. Miriam loved it. Here, in the calm, orderly setting of the lab, she was in her element, taking apart human and Creature DNA and slowly uncovering their mysteries, one genetic sequence at a time.

But she would admit her patience was being sorely tested as of late. Another failed sire, another blood sample that told her what she already knew. Marcus’ results weren’t back yet, but the probability of him being sterile was too high to hope for any other outcome.  And when that was confirmed, the implications it would have for her friend and the de Clermont line…

She sighed. If they could just catch a break, something that would point them towards the cause. She’d take even the smallest and most corrupted bit of DNA if it held their missing link.

A notification binged from her phone. She looked down. The time read 5:51 pm.

She had over half an hour to go before sunset. The rest of the samples could wait until tomorrow.

Gathering her things, Miriam packed up her work station and shut down the monitors at an inhuman pace. Then, with a more restrained gait, she exited the building.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Miriam didn’t regularly observe _Shabbat_. Her work kept her busy during the weekend and it seemed frivolous to partake in a ritual that demanded rest from labour (especially now, when their survival was on the line). But tonight, she sorely needed the comfort of her faith.

Her apartment was clean and dimly lit, the table set with a glass of wine and two covered loaves of _challah_ , illuminated by two customary _Shabbat_ oil lamps. Modern practitioners used candles but she always preferred the lamps. It was practical in that they burned more slowly, saving on fuel and keeping the flame contained to the dish without fear of spilling over. Moreover, it was a tangible connection to her human life, one that brought forth hazy memories of her mother lighting the lamps and reciting blessings over them, asking _Yahweh_ to keep their family in good health and the land of Judah safe from its enemies.

In recent years she’d taken to performing an abbreviated version of the _Shabbat_ service. This involved the welcoming rites before sunset, followed by _Havdalah_ the following morning. She reasoned that if humans spent half their time asleep and half their time in active observance then she, a vampire who required little rest, could cut it down to twelve hours of prayer and reflection.  

She waved her hand over the flames, then covered her eyes to begin the opening blessing. Once that was concluded, she clasped the wine glass and proceeded with the _kiddush_.

The final aspect of the welcoming rites was _Ha-Motzi_ , the blessing of _challah_. Unless Jason or any of her children were visiting, she skipped this part of the service. _Challah_ was meant to be shared; besides, she wasn’t going to eat it.

Rather, she kept the loaves intact and dedicated this part to personal prayer. Before the Exile all Jews composed their own prayers: Miriam’s had varied from trivial (“ _Yahweh_ , make an ass of Ya'aqov. He deserves it for pulling my hair!”) to desperate (“ _Yahweh_ , keep us together in Babylonia.”). When Bertrand had been taken, she prayed for strength. When Jerusalem fell to the Ayyubids, she prayed for safe passage as she and her family fled.

Now, she prayed for a miracle.

She prayed that Marcus’ results wouldn’t be as harrowing as she feared. She prayed that Matthew would be successful in obtaining Ashmole 782 from the witch. She prayed that  _Yahweh_ would guide them towards the cause of their problem.

She prayed that with God’s help, vampires would be spared extinction.

**Author's Note:**

> Terminology:  
> "Shabbat" = the Sabbath, the Jewish holy day of rest  
> "challah" = a type of bread eaten during the Sabbath  
> "Havdalah" = a ritual that marks the end of the Sabbath  
> "Kiddush" = one of the prayers that marks the welcoming of the Sabbath  
> "Ha-Motzi" = the ritual blessing of challah 
> 
> Jason and Bertrand are characters mentioned in the books. Bertrand was Miriam's mate (he died to protect Matthew and the Knights of Lazarus during the Crusades), and Jason was his son. According to the books and the companion, Miriam still keeps in contact with Jason. She's also the head of her own vampire family and has sired several other children.


End file.
